Press Release

MEDIA CONTACT:
Timothy Dillon Director of Marketing & Media Relations
(512) 936-4600 Fax: (512) 936-4699 E-mail: timothy.dillon@thestoryoftexas.com

New Exhibit to Celebrate Centennial of Flight in Texas Story to be Told at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum September 2010

AUSTIN, TX, August 2009–The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is embarking on a mission to tell a truly uplifting story with a dramatic and unprecedented special exhibition commemorating Texas aviation history titled, Tango Alpha Charlie: A Centennial Celebration.

The history of aviation in Texas is the story of industry innovation, record-setting achievements, gravity-defying feats, and the soaring human spirit. Texas has been, and continues to be, a leader in manufacturing, hospitality, science exploration, and scholarship, pushing the global economy year after year with new research and billions of dollars in revenue.

The year 2010 marks the centennial of flight in Texas. Since Frenchman Louis Paulhan’s first flight in Texas on February 18, 1910, Texas has been on the leading edge of aviation. The first U.S. military flight was in March 1910 from Fort Sam Houston, beginning Texas’s long tradition of military aviation. The first Texan to fly in Texas was L.L. Walker Jr. in Houston, who built and flew his own plane in 1910, exemplifying the spirit that has driven the aviation industry in Texas ever since.

Opening September 12, 2010, Tango Alpha Charlie: A Centennial Celebration will tell the story of Texas aviation—past, present, and future—in a multi-level, 10,000-square foot special exhibition that will brag on the dynamic achievements of Texas aviators, designers, manufacturers, and services. The exhibition will be organized by guest curator Barbara Ganson Ph.D., a professor of aviation history. With multimedia interactivity, artifacts, original research, and hands-on experiences for all ages, this exhibition will serve as the next great chapter in the already rich story of Texas aviation.